It’s no secret that Costco in Korea is the epitome of a modern hellhole designed to rip your soul out, divvy it up with a rusty and blunt axe, chew it, then spit it right back at you, so you you put it back inside, then turn around and do it all over again. This place steals so much attention and causes so much heartbreak and frustration, but let’s not forget that all it is is a bloody supermarket!

But why is the place just destined to constantly infuritate me? I blame people. Because, let’s face it, all the ills of the world are brought about by our fellow humans, and Costco in Korea is a perfect example of this.

Parents’ Day (어버이날) was May 8th. My mom and I celebrated the weekend before with a walk around Busan, including a trip to Costco. We had a great time. I consider my mom my best friend, and I feel confident that I could tell her and talk to her about anything. Not just this day, but every day, I want to tell her I love her. Our relationship has not been and is not perfect, but with its imperfections, it is perfect for us.

In the latest segment of "Not-So-Normal Norms", I talk about letterman jackets, MTs, condiments, the excessive wearing of high heels, and the lack of gray hair in Korea. As usual, I must note that this post has been written to point out Korean cultural norms that are different from those in my home country, America, and the West in general. My comments are in no way intended to degrade Korean culture or Korean people.

Before I came to Korea to teach, I was like anybody else in my situation. I read every imaginable article and blog, and watched ALL the videos on YouTube. One of the big topics I often wondered about was how much groceries and toiletries would cost. Well, it's been one full year that I've been teaching in Korea and I have a good idea of what and where to buy the things I like and need. It differs for everyone, but for my needs I have certain shopping habits now based on availability, price, convenience, etc.Here's a list of prices for some of the items I buy and what may be interesting to you. They are based on the two main stores I shop for groceries and toiletries at - HomePlus and Costco. HomePlus is one of the major chain retail stores in Korea. It's very similar to target, but on a smaller scale.

There was a time in my life where the thought of making a day trip to Costco would have been met with a laugh and a face smack. But, those days are gone….long gone…so gone in fact that Nicole and I actually left a beach party early just so we knew we would have enough time to slowly peruse each and every aisle of the wholesale shopping uberstore.

Located not far from centum city but in a very odd backstreet part of town, the Costco logo drew nearer to us on our cabby’s gps and so did our excitement…no really, its not fluff, we were amped. Look, i’m legit amped here.

There are plenty of reasons to like Korea, and there are plenty of reasons to love Korea, but it has to be said there is an equal number of reasons to dislike Korea.

I won’t call them the sunshine press today because I know that they are also prone to sharing the overcast afternoon news and the even more miserable dark November evening where it pisses down for what feels like a week news, but the Korean blogosphere has been up to its naughty tricks again. This time it has started to talk about reasons why Korea is worth loving, or liking…or tolerating…etc. That fellow Roboseyo whom I keep hearing about has the lowdown here.

From LA’s Kogi Truck to NYC-based Korilla BBQ, Korean tacos are all the rage these days. Even bulk food mecca Costco’s caught on to the trend with Korean Brand Beef Street Tacos from Bamboo Lane available at select stores! With this kit, foodies can make their own delicious tacos without even having to step foot out of the house.

Korean Costco food is delicious. The bulgogi wraps are hands down, the best thing I’ve ever eaten at any Costco.

There is something very unique about the way that the Koreans eat at Costco. I have tried to get a photo of this several times. I was very secretive about obtaining this photo (not really), but adjussi was doing a good job of blocking me. Hopefully you can see that he is helping create —what I refer to as— a condiment pile.